The Audacity of a New Start
How facing a blank sheet of paper, a canvas, or a new day can make your whole world a better place.
By Spider Graham
A number of years ago, a friend gave me a card with a quote from avant-garde musician John Cage. Its read, simply, “Begin Anywhere”.
I love this quote because it serves as a reminder to me that there are few right answers when working on any project. What matters most is that we take action and do something instead of spending time just planning but never doing.
Having spent the majority of my career in digital media development in some capacity, I face a blank page just about every day of my life. While this blank page represents uncertainty, it also represents possibility. For me, there are few things more rewarding than knowing I was able to turn a blank sheet of paper into an idea, a story, a painting or even a shopping list.
Throughout my career I’ve watched so many people sit there in front of a new idea frozen in place either as an example of analysis paralysis or the fear that they’re going to do something wrong.
For example, as a YouTuber (@GravityClamp and @MixedMediaMasters) I’m constantly needing to come with ideas for new videos. While I’m pretty sure that not everything I’ve created is a masterpiece that provides viewers with ‘news they can use’, some of it is pretty damn good and some of it has been a ‘learning experience’.
I have colleagues who have been on the brink of posting their first video for years but still haven’t yet pulled the trigger because they don’t feel confident that what they want to share is as good as they want it to be. What they don’t understand is that whenever we create anything new, our first is our worst. They will only be able to get better by doing, and sometimes failing. But the most important thing they can do is get something created and posted.
One of the most important things I’ve done in my career is to give myself permission to suck at things I’m just getting started at. I don’t expect to be good at something I’ve never tried before! But using the feedback I receive (nobody seemed to pay attention to my post, a comment offered me some insights, my post went surprisingly viral, etc.) I learn something new every time I do anything.
I encourage you to not fear the blank page. Instead, put something down on it and share a thought or ideas with others. Be audacious and be willing to put yourself out there. Simply begin anywhere.
About Spider Graham
Spider Graham is the Founder and CEO of Gravity Clamp and has been a fixture in digital content marketing for nearly 30 years. As a technology writer and strategies trainer, Spider spends a lot of time thinking about ways to make content marketing even more powerful and offers AI Marketing focused training and consulting services. Check out Gravity Clamp’s free course on AI Marketing Fundamentals while it's still available to learn more.